Teenage Dream
by mslizabeth
Summary: A birthday gift to one of the best people in fandom. Only for you would I write this pairing! A story in two parts: Seth's teenage dream comes home brokenhearted, can he help her mend?


"We had to find a new distributer for the linens they suddenly no longer had the peacock blue, which no one else has either that I can find so we switched to turquoise instead."

"Will it be too close to the bridesmaid dresses? I know you didn't want it too match-y, but what about purple?"

"The backs of the chairs have purple bows, that is too much purple, and I don't think so it's a richer turquoise. It's fine I promise."

"What about the cake? Did you give the design I sketched up to that friend of yours?"

"Yes, I gave the design to, Bella, although I have to admit I may have re-sketched it. Leah, what were you thinking doing it on a dirty napkin, it looked like you were eating cheetos while you were sketching."

"It's about all she deserved. But whatever, perfect little Bella got a clean sketch, goody."

Seth's eyes bounced back and forth as he listened to the inane conversation between his mother and sister as he lazily lifted his coffee to his lips trying to catch a glimpse of his watch without being obvious. Just a little further, a slight shift of his elbow and his sleeve would move enough to see the whole face.

A swift jolt on the back of his head caused his mouth to connect with his coffee cup spilling it on his lap, jumping up "Damn it! Leah, that shit's not funny."

"Neither is you watching the time when we are having an important conversation about my wedding."

His eyes rolled as he looks at her "You're shitting me with this, right?"

"Language." His mother spoke as she continued taking notes in her pink book without even bothering to look up at her bickering children.

"Sorry, Ma, but come on. What the hell did I have to be here for. You still hate Bella, your wedding will be a gorgeous variety of peacock themed jewel toned hues. None of this isn't crap I haven't heard over the last six months and quite frankly I don't give a shit. Tell me where to pick up my tux, when to show up, where to stand and leave me alone. Better still, just have Jake tell me. "

Watching his sister flail and flounce in her chair like a pissed off toddler was worth the scene they were making, besides this was the Rez no one paid any mind to us any longer, especially not in Jake's coffee shop.

"Somedays I would swear that there is no way possible we are related."

He was sure she intended for her words to be a menacing growl, but to be perfectly honestly they just made him laugh harder.

"Lele, why don't you just tell your brother why you asked him to be here today."

"I need you to pick Alice and Sam up from the airport and make sure they get everywhere this weekend."

"So I'm on bridesmaid duty? What the-" He caught himself with a sharp look from his Mom. "Come on, I'm not your lackey to order about."

"'Fraid that's what you signed up for when you agreed to be my best man. It won't be that bad there's only two of them." Jake's friendly hand rested on my shoulder.

"Whatever, can I go? Just text me their flight info and I'll pick them up." he flicked his hood up to hide his head as he headed for the door to escape any more wedding nonsense.

"Don't forget to clean your car out first those girls don't need to see all your garbage lingering around."

He lifted a hand in acknowledgement of his mother's parting words as he made it out to his dirty car, a grin lifting the corners of his mouth. He had no desire to deal with Sam, she and Leah had become friends during her time at UW and she was three parts hot blonde chick and seven parts bitch. No amount of hot could excuse her high handed and judgemental personality. If he didn't think his sister would hunt him down the idea of being in a confined space with Sam was enough to make him want to run for the hills.

On the other hand there was Alice. At just the sound of her name Seth felt fourteen again watching Alice bouncing into their house in her cheerleading uniform. Willing her skirt to be just a little shorter so he could get a glimpse of underneath. Not that she even noticed him past ruffling his hair and calling him "Seth-y" He'd have taken anyone else who tried it out; however, Alice was the exception to every rule in his book. He wasn't fool enough to think he had a chance he had a chance with the beautiful senior, but that didn't stop his overactive imagination from picturing a different reality.

Alice had, in fact, been the star of most of his fantasies through high school. She was without a doubt his pedestal woman and no one had yet to measure up to how perfect he had conjured her up to be in his mind. He kept expecting her to change the way Leah had during college, but every time he saw her no matter what was going on she always had a smile on her face no sense of any bitterness that the world wasn't ideal.

Not that he had been sitting at home twiddling his thumbs and playing video games for the last seven years. He may have been fool enough to have an occasional fantasy starring her (at least it was far less occasionally than in high school), but he knew she was out of his league so he focused on local girls that he actually had a shot with. Not that any of them had stuck yet, but he was sure when the time was right, when the girl was right it would happen. He had bigger things to worry about before then though namely right now he had a class to get to right now, so Leah's wedding drama was going to have to wait.

**x*x*x*x*x*x*x**

Seth growled as he attempted to politely rush through the airport as he tried to find Alice in the crowds. The arrival boards had confirmed his fears. Her plane had landed twenty minutes ago and he was late to pick her up. He truly felt like shit for missing it, but Sam's plane had landed two hours earlier and unable to act like an normal decent human being she had insisted on Seth taking her all the way back to Leah's place rather than being subjected to waiting close by. Lest someone dare to think she might possibly be actually associating with someone as lowly as him.

So of course he'd gotten stuck in traffic on the way back, groaning he knew he was going to have to suck it up and call Leah and request Alice's number which was going to result in a shit storm he would never hear the end of. His eyes landed longingly on the sole bar in the Port Angeles airport when he felt the anxiety leave his body. There at the bar nursing one of those fruity drinks with the mini umbrellas was exactly the beauty he was searching for.

"There you are, I'm so sorry I was late. I had to pick up Samantha and then take her..."

His apology was cut off by a squeal "Seth-y! I knew you'd rescue me..."

While the arms enveloping him in a hug were always welcome, there was something off about the greeting and when she giggled in his ear he realized she was drunk.

"Barkeep. Another one of these for my friend." She declared with an authoritative slap of her hand against the bar top. "Wait, you are old enough to drink now, right?"

"Yes, it's perfectly legal for me to drink. Did I keep you waiting long?"

Alice giggled as she shakes her head "Nope, you're barely late at all. this is only my first drink." she took a long sip from it before she shrugged "I guess it's really my third drink though if you include the vodka from the plane."

In all the times he'd heard Leah discuss Alice he couldn't remember her mentioning a drinking problem so he wondered if something was going on. "What's the occasion?" he asked her lightly.  
"To life screwing you up the ass!" She declared raising her glass into the air. "And your boyfriend doing the same to your roommate when he thinks you already left town."

"Oh Alice, I'm-"

Her hand wrapped around prevented him from completing his apology.

"Don't you dare apologize for that asshole. The only person who owes me an apology is him. Well, and Victoria, but screw them both."

"I think they may already have their hands full with screwing from the sounds of it."

Alice's head leaned on his shoulder as she laughed, "See I knew I liked you. Don't make me go to Leah's tonight. I'll show up tomorrow and be the dutiful maid of honor and tie tiny bows on things and use my calligraphy for good, but right now if I have to listen to her gush about the wedding and Jake I honestly think I might pull a Linda Blair and vomit all over her."

"I think she'd forgive you if you made your head spin around first."

"Promise you won't make me?"

Seth knew he would incur and take every ounce of his sisters anger on for the big blue eyes staring down at him "Of course. I'll keep you away from Leah tonight. Do you want me to get you a hotel room?"

"No. No. I don't want that. I don't want to be alone either. Can you hang out with me? Is that too much?"

He wanted to laugh and ask her if she was really that oblivious to his feelings for her. "Of course not, it would be my honor."

"Thanks."

They sat in companionable silence while they nursed their drinks

"He didn't deserve you, you know? No one who could pull a jackass move like that deserves someone like you." He couldn't take holding his thoughts in any longer.

"I thought he was my one. I just feel stupid." Her words were whispered and he could hear a break in them and he wished he could take away all the hurt.

"I can't think of anyone who deserves all the love in the world more. You'll find your guy, so what this guy wasn't the right one. You'll find him and for now you can drink and find some hot groomsman to hook up with and go back with a renewed energy to make him regret ever being such a foolish idiot."

An eyebrow rose as Alice studied him, biting her lip, "A hot groomsman you say? Are you suggesting that sleeping with you would make me feel better?"

Seth's eyes widened as he shook his head "No, I mean..."

"You said hot groomsman and I surely don't intend on breaking up any marriages today, so that eliminates Quil and Paul." She slid her finger over his arm "And if we're talking hot, you definitely win that battle, Sweet Seth you grew up quite nicely."

"I think your Bahama Mama is talking to me."

Suddenly it was as if they were sharing a stool as she slid closer, looking up at him from under her lashes. "Are you telling me that you've never thought about me like that?"

His mouth opened and closed like a fish as he looked at her attempting to give her an honest answer without selling himself out.

"Don't lie to me..." She sing songed into his ear "It's okay to admit it."

"Maybe, but not like this." He admitted slowly as he looks over at her

"Am I too old for you now? I promise everything is still perky and in just the right spots."

"Alice you're like twenty-five. I wasn't concerned about this at all." Seth told her with a laugh shaking his head. "I don't want you to regret it. Or make things awkward at the wedding, Leah would never forgive me for it."

"So why don't you just take me home with you. You promised you wouldn't make me go to Leah's, we'll just let things happen from there."

He should have said no, insisted she let him take her to her parents home or check her into a hotel. However, there was a little bit of her spark back in her eyes and the way her hand was sliding over his thigh was too much to resist. He slid his wallet out and put money on the bar as he slid his arm around her waist "Let's get you out of here," he said softly.


End file.
